Mass Effect: Legends Rise
by DalekStorm
Summary: From the very beginning, Elana Shepard was destined for greatness. Surviving the long odds, she gets herself ready for the greatest adventure of all. NON CANON DIALOUGE WARNING HERE Starts from the events of ME1, going all the way to ME3 and beyond.
1. Legends Rise: The Beginning

**Disclaimer: I don't own Mass Effect or any of their stuff. *sniff* But don't I wish.**

Chapter 1: Another Day, Another Mission.

Commander Elana Shepard's first thoughts upon waking were ***Shit! I'm late!***

She rolled out of her bunk in the XO's office of the Normandy, trying desperately to find her pants, not able to believe that her omni-tool hadn't woken her. After finally finding her cargo's and lacing up her boots, she made her way to the bridge at a brisk walk, not bothering to stop for any breakfast. She walks straight to the front of the ship, leans in the archway, and says "So Joker. Did the captain notice that I was late? Good news only please..."  
Jeff 'Joker' Moreau turns around with a smile on his face. "You're in luck this time, Commander. You're gonna be late to you're own burial someday."  
Shepard twitches her eyebrow. "At least I have my pride. And who knows? I might be early someday to compensate." She walks up to behind the pilots chair and looks over the display. "Smooth sailing so far?"  
Joker snorts. "As if I wouldn't be sailing anything but smoothly."  
Elana peers around the pilot's chair warily. "Someday I'll see you prove this claim that you're the best pilot there ever was."  
Joker quickly swivels in indignation. "Look, Shepard, I AM the best pilot ever. It's a fact. I don't need to prove anything!"  
Elana rapidly steps back, hands up in the air. "OK, I give, Joker. I was just messing with you. Best damn pilot I've ever seen, anyway."  
Joker nods decisvely. "Damn right, I am..." and then swivels around in time for Captain Anderson to ping in with a cry of "Joker!", which causes him to hang his head. "Yessir."  
"Send Shepard to the briefing room. Tell her this is important and that I'll meet her there."  
"Aye-aye, Captain." Joker looks around at Shepard. "Better get moving, Commander. He sounds annoyed, so being late is a no-no."  
Shepard looks at Joker blankly. "Hell, Joker. He always sounds like that when he talks to you." She then turns and starts to move to the briefing room. When she gets there, instead of Captain Anderson, the Turian Spectre Nihlus is waiting.  
He looks around when she enters the room. "Ah, Commander Shepard. Anderson speaks highly of you." and he reaches out a hand to shake.  
Elana takes it and shakes. "Hope I'm worthy of it someday. I just get lucky."  
Nihlus thinks to himself *Hmmm.. This human isn't afraid to shake my hand. Good. Prejudice against aliens has always been a human limitation.* He then asks, "Just lucky? Is that how you explain some of the things on your record of service?"  
Elana looks past Nihlus for a second, and then looks down at the floor. Finally her gaze settles back on the Turian, saying "You mean A...Akuze?"  
Nihlus looks taken aback at the slight hitch in Shepards voice. "Does it still bother you, Commander?"  
Shepard tightens her lips for a second. "Sometimes. But then I usually get over it. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Just as she says that, Captain Anderson walks into the room. "Shepard. Good to see you're finally awake."  
She sighs. "Yeah, I figured you noticed that. But sir, what is it you wanted to talk about?"  
Anderson looks grim. "You know that this isn't a simple test run of the Normandy's systems, right?" Elana nods. "Well I called you here to discuss what the real purpose of this is." He walks up to the console and rests his hands on it. "The real purpose of this mission is that we found a... call it a beacon. On Eden Prime." Elena laughs. "Another breakthrough, huh? This should be good..."

As it turns out, it wasn't good. It was nothing but bad in the end.

**-End Chapter One- **

**A.N.: I decided that I was going to skip past finding Ashley and skip straight to the Citadel stuff. Please forgive me, but I GET BORED trying to write that combat sequence. And remember, I solemnly swear to not update on a regular schedule. Please review what's been written so far.**


	2. Councils, Turians, and Anger, Oh My!

**Disclaimer: I solemnly swear that I *sniff* do not own any of Bioware's toys. Really. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfic, you silly people.**

Elana lays back in her bunk as she muses over the details of the mission that went so horribly wrong. Nihlus getting shot in the back by a rogue Specter... Ashley Williams, and her lost team. And Elana herself, with that crazy beacon filling her head with visions of death, destruction, and despair that she is desperately trying to get out of her head. She shakes her head. **Shit.. we're probably pulling up to the Citadel as I sit on my ass now..**

She gets out of her bunk, and just as her feet hit the floor, a familiar voice comes in over the intercom. "Hey Shepard, get your ass up here. We're pulling into Citadel space, and it's one hell of a view."

Elana sighs. "Damn, it's almost like I have precognition sometimes... Alright Joker, I'll be right there." As she rushes her way up the stairs, she realises that she should probably not be awake, as her legs almost give out suddenly. She finally makes her way up the rest of the stairs, and does a slow jog to the bridge. Getting there, she looks out of the viewscreen, letting out a low whistle. "Damn, Joker, you weren't kidding about the view.. and isn't that the Destiny Ascension?"

Ashley looks out at the ship, with a bit of a smile on her face. "Wow, that's much bigger than the _Normandy_."

Joker looks at the massive Asari ship and scoffs. "Size of the ship doesn't matter, it's the way you use it that counts."

Elana looks over at Joker and smacks him upside the head lightly. "Do you think before you speak, Joker?"

Joker looks over his shoulder and grins up at her. "Only for you, Shepard." Elana shakes her head, and goes to suit up for the trip into the Citadel...

*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*

As the Normandy docks, Elana, Kaidan, and Ashley jump into the docking bay.

Kaidan looks to his Commander. "Where's our first destination, Commander?"

Elana starts walking towards the elevator, calling back over her shoulder. "Follow me if you want to find out!"

Ashley laughs a bit, and her only response to Kaidan's glare is a small smile. They then both follow Elana into the elevator. As it makes it's way down the shaft, Elana sighs a bit. "These lifts are impossibly slow. Is there any way we that we could have developed better elevators alongside light-speed travel?"

Kaidan shrugs. "Better things to do, I guess."

Elana gasps. "Better things! I never. Elevators are sooo important. If it weren't for elevators, it would be stairs everywhere. And imagine stairs in this place! It would take foreve-"

Ashley taps her on the shoulder. "Commander. You're rambling."

Elana recomposes herself as the elevator doors open, revealing the face of a curious reporter. "Commander Shepard? Kalisah Bint-Sin Al-Jilani. If you have a moment, I-"

Elana pushes the reporter out of the way. "Sorry, miss Al-Jilani. I have better places to be."

The reporter looks a little miffed and stands in her way. "Commander, Earth is looking for answers!"

Elana stops, and looks at the reporter coldly. "And Earth can have them. Right after I've finshed doing much more important Earth buisness. But I hate reporters that chase stories in the name of Earth interest. So stand down-" The crimson eyed commander's eyes flash, and she pulls out her pistol, resting the barrel on the end of the frightened Al-Jilani's nose. "-or I will shoot you. I am liscened to kill you, and anyone else interfering with my missions."

Kaidan and Ashley both looked at the Commander, horrified that she would threaten a reporter when the camera was rolling. Elana then holstered her pistol and looked Kalisah straight in the eyes, scaring the poor woman even more. "We clear?" Kalisah sobbed and ran.

Elana waited until she was gone, and then her shoulders slumped, looking around at her ground team. "I know that looked bad, but we don't have the time to deal with reporters, what with a rogue Spectre and a Council meeting to attend. Come on."

Finally, the team makes their way to the main Council tower. On their way up the stairs leading to the plaza in front of the meeting room, they run into a pair of Turians arguing, one in blue C-Sec armor, the other in grey clothes.

The Turian in armor sighs and rubs his forehead. "Listen, if you just give me a little more time, I can find something-" But the turian in grey cuts him off. "Garrus, please. Don't make this harder for yourself. You're off the case."

He walks off, leaving Garrus rubbing his ridge and groaning "Why couldn't he just see reason.. for once?"

Elana walks up to him. "Hard day?"

Garrus looks up in shock. "Sorry, ma'am. Didn't see you there. Garrus Vakarian, C-Sec. I was one of the people assigned to look up data on Saren Arterius."

The ground team looks at Garrus with interest, but Elana shakes his hand. "I would love to hear all about it, but we actually have to get to the meeting now. I'm sorry."

Elana and her team leave Garrus behind, and continue up the stairs, to where Captain Anderson was waiting for them. He looks at her a little impatiently. "You're late. The meetings already started, come on.."

The small group moves into the Council chambers, and then proceeds up the beautiful walkway leading up to the seats of the Council. The Asari Councillor, Tevos, spoke to Ambassador Udina, saying "Ambassador, we cannot condemn one of our specially selected Spectres based on your speculation!"

Ambassador Udina looks around at the Commander. "Commander? Do you have anything to say?"

Elana looks up to the Council, and she steps up to the main podium. Clearing her throat, she sets her hands on the handrests and begins to speak. "Councilors, this is not speculation. Saren Arterius is a ROGUE Spectre. I saw what he did on Eden Prime, I saw what he did to the team there and the colonists! He deserves to be punished!"

The holograph of Saren, previously unnoticed, chuckles at the outburst. "I read the report on Eden Prime. It was a sad thing, but I wasn't there, of course." Saren smiles at the enraged Commander.

Elana roars at Saren. "How dare you, you Turian bastard! You were there! You activated the beacon! You KILLED THOSE PEOPLE!"

Saren looks pained. "My, my. Turian bastard, am I?" He looks at Councilor Sparatus, the Turian representative, and says, in a pitiful voice. "It's so sad the humans cannot get pace the issue of race when it comes to Turians, isn't it?"

Sparatus looks at Elana in anger, and his voice barely manages to conceal the rage in his tone. "Udina, unless your people can gather ACTUAL evidence to prove that the Spectre Saren Arterius is guilty of what you say, then get out of the Council chambers. Our business is done here."

Udina looks at Anderson, shakes his head in disgust, and walks out. Anderson, in turn, looks sadly at Elana, and sighs. "Come on. We're meeting Udina in his rooms." Beckoning, he and the team walk out behind Udina.

**A.N: Aaaand another chapter done! I will have the next one up as soon as I am finished, hope you enjoy reading, cause I enjoyed writing! :)**


End file.
